MTB'ers - to 29 or stick to 26?
Discussion
I've been racking up 2-3k kms per year over the past 6 years on my Marin 26" MTB. I normally go out every week with some mates who have recently changed to 29'ers.
My bike is pretty knackered but owes me nothing so I can either spend money on some major component replacement or get a new bike.
Now to put everything in context, whilst reasonably fit, I do carry a little more baggage than my mates and as a result take up the tail gun charlie position. This is for two reasons - when the going is open byeway/fire trail on the climb I will always fall back. If it's single-track then due to pure lack of ability I'll deliberately go last!
What I've noticed recently is that when riding open trails I'm losing ground to a huge extent. This was brought home big time yesterday when over a 5km, 50m climb I lost sight of the others. I put this down to the curry and too many beers the night before but when I uploaded to Strava it turned out I'd posted a PR.
So now I'm thinking 29'er.
So what's your experience? I noticed on Evans that of the 300 MTB's on offer, 50% are 29er, 25% 27.5 and 25% 26. The industry is re-inventing itself (surprise, surprise) but for my generally non-technical riding is it the way to go? And if it is what bikes should I be looking at at the £1500 price point?
My bike is pretty knackered but owes me nothing so I can either spend money on some major component replacement or get a new bike.
Now to put everything in context, whilst reasonably fit, I do carry a little more baggage than my mates and as a result take up the tail gun charlie position. This is for two reasons - when the going is open byeway/fire trail on the climb I will always fall back. If it's single-track then due to pure lack of ability I'll deliberately go last!
What I've noticed recently is that when riding open trails I'm losing ground to a huge extent. This was brought home big time yesterday when over a 5km, 50m climb I lost sight of the others. I put this down to the curry and too many beers the night before but when I uploaded to Strava it turned out I'd posted a PR.
So now I'm thinking 29'er.
So what's your experience? I noticed on Evans that of the 300 MTB's on offer, 50% are 29er, 25% 27.5 and 25% 26. The industry is re-inventing itself (surprise, surprise) but for my generally non-technical riding is it the way to go? And if it is what bikes should I be looking at at the £1500 price point?
The replies seem to generally agree with my observations. I'm not particularly keen on overly technical riding and it sounds like a 29er would suit my riding so I guess I better get out there and try one!
I've got some cash burning a hole in my pocket, I've done the man maths and I've softened up the boss with a promise of a new sofa (although it'll still cost me dear
)
I don't think my budget wil stretch to composite to carbon/composite so suggestions welcome!
I've got some cash burning a hole in my pocket, I've done the man maths and I've softened up the boss with a promise of a new sofa (although it'll still cost me dear
)I don't think my budget wil stretch to composite to carbon/composite so suggestions welcome!
With these feet said:
Still love getting my Canondale Flash 29 out, even though I've had it over a year I'm still impressed with the handling and how great the Lefty is. I've not noticed much of a difference in steering, it feels just as capable as my FS Specialized on trails. Sis in Law bought a Scott 29er a few months ago and hasn't stopped raving about it! And the crap about being too small, I'm 5'7" 30" inside leg and fit the Flash no problem.
One of the guys I ride with has a Lefty 29er' He's a bit of a Cannondale fan so I kind of dismissed it but I reckon I'll try and convince him to let me have a ride.snorkel sucker said:
Now only 3 rides in on my new bike, its brilliant. Yes, it is heavy so its more a plot up kinda bike, but I'm never going to be a KOM on any climb, so I don't care. What it does do, is go faster everywhere else - it rolls better, hits stuff harder and has tons of grip. Sure, its a bigger bike so no surprise there, but it is (and this is the main point) just as fun if not more so, than my previous bikes.
It will manaul, it will jump (mandatory, given the speed you are hitting stuff!) and I am not lying when I say you need to re calibrate your riding on know terrain as you hit things quicker and therefore end up being further down the trail than you are used to.
I would say that it would be worth trying a mid travel full suss 29. My bike is deliberately at the end of the aggressive 29er spectrum but there are loads of more trail orientated ones out there.
I wouldn't say that, on their own, they would transform anyone's riding. But, if you are a decent rider and can take advantage of their strengths, they can make a good difference.
Everyone has their own idea of fun, so don't lose sight of that. Mine was bought with the primary reason being to plod to the top and rip back down and, given the seconds which are falling off Strava PBs even after a couple of rides, its doing what I wanted.
I'd definitely give a couple a try, on a longer ride if possible, as they do take a bit of getting used to.
I'm really appreciating the feedback here. It has convinced me that I need to get out and try a few and fingers crossed I can get to try a Cannondale Lefty, Specialized and Whyte without going near a LBS.It will manaul, it will jump (mandatory, given the speed you are hitting stuff!) and I am not lying when I say you need to re calibrate your riding on know terrain as you hit things quicker and therefore end up being further down the trail than you are used to.
I would say that it would be worth trying a mid travel full suss 29. My bike is deliberately at the end of the aggressive 29er spectrum but there are loads of more trail orientated ones out there.
I wouldn't say that, on their own, they would transform anyone's riding. But, if you are a decent rider and can take advantage of their strengths, they can make a good difference.
Everyone has their own idea of fun, so don't lose sight of that. Mine was bought with the primary reason being to plod to the top and rip back down and, given the seconds which are falling off Strava PBs even after a couple of rides, its doing what I wanted.
I'd definitely give a couple a try, on a longer ride if possible, as they do take a bit of getting used to.
That hole is getting bigger
Just to bump this I finally got to ride a 29er today - a Specialized over a 40km run I've done several times before and is typical of the riding I regularly do (mixed trail and single-track but erring on trail).
The set up probably wasn't ideal for me (stem too short and I should have put my regular saddle on) and my first thoughts were not as agile as the 26 but I grew in to it. On the single-track I never encountered any issues and in general I just found that it carried momentum far better than my 26. Also found it less susceptible to being thrown by ruts/roots etc plus there was no question that over rough surfaces it just rolled better.
Posted the run on Strava and scored 4 PR's. Looks like a slam-dunk now; although curious to try a 27.5!
The set up probably wasn't ideal for me (stem too short and I should have put my regular saddle on) and my first thoughts were not as agile as the 26 but I grew in to it. On the single-track I never encountered any issues and in general I just found that it carried momentum far better than my 26. Also found it less susceptible to being thrown by ruts/roots etc plus there was no question that over rough surfaces it just rolled better.
Posted the run on Strava and scored 4 PR's. Looks like a slam-dunk now; although curious to try a 27.5!
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